Cattleya co-CEO Marco Chimenz moves to Federation Studios

Marco Chimenz

Federation Studios has appointed Cattleya co-CEO Marco Chimenz as co-MD of the European production group.

Chimenz will work alongside fellow group co-MD Lionel Uzan and founder & CEO Pascal Breton, and will be joined in his move from Italian indie Cattleya to Federation Studios by his long-time collaborator Joshua Berman – currently head of business and legal affairs at the ITV Studios-owned Gomorrah label, who will become international business affairs advisor.

Both will join the company on 1 January, with Federation Studios stating that the addition of Chimenz will “further bolster” its general management as it continues to expand, such as via the recent acquisiton of animation and distribution company Go-N Productions.

Last month, the Paris-based firm became part of Federation Studios’ group of 35 production companies based in France and internationally, which includes fellow kids’ content producer Cottonwood Media (Theodosia, Spellbound), as well as Fabula, Vertigo, Robin &Co, Calt, Bonne Pioche, Empreinte Digitale, Cheyenne Federation and Drama Team, among others.

During his time at Cattleya, Chimenz has worked on scripted titles including ZeroZeroZero, Gomorrah, Suburra and Django, with responsibility for overall strategy, internal and external growth and management of business affairs for both Catleya in Italy and its Spanish affiliate, Cattleya Producciones.

Before becoming a partner in Cattleya at its inception, in 1999, Chimenz was in charge of international fiction sales for Mediaset in Milan. In 1995 he began working as an EVP in Medusa Film’s Los Angeles office, with responsibility for acquiring US films and securing international financing of Italian co-productions. Until 2019 he was president of the European Producers Club and remains an active board member.

“Our goal remains the same: to attract the best producers, showrunners and directors in the business. Welcoming Marco, one of Europe’s most talented and appreciated producers, can only strengthen Federation’s knowledge and expertise in the areas of pre-financing, co-production and sales of movies and shows. It will also boost our presence worldwide as we continue to build an international studio that works closely with creators around the globe,” said Breton.